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Fresh signs that ANOTHER royal pic was manipulated

<p>Ah, the royal family – the gift that keeps on giving, especially when it comes to Photoshop mishaps. It seems like they've developed a knack for stirring up a digital storm every time they release a photo.</p> <p>The latest kerfuffle involves a seemingly innocent snapshot released to celebrate what would have been Queen Elizabeth II's 97th birthday. But oh, what a tangled web of pixels it turned out to be!</p> <p>The photo, featuring a gaggle of royal offspring including the adorable trio of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, quickly became the centre of attention, and not for the right reasons.</p> <p>According to the eagle-eyed sleuths at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/17/people-question-everything-now-how-kates-photo-scandal-rips-up-the-rules-for-royals-and-the-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Guardian</em></a>, the photo looked more like a game of digital whack-a-mole than a family portrait. Prince Louis apparently decided to play hide-and-seek within the frame, magically teleporting to a new position. And let's not forget the hair-raising revelation that some locks on one of the granddaughters seemed to have been copy-pasted with reckless abandon. Maybe they were going for a stylish asymmetrical look?</p> <p>"The photograph taken by Catherine at Balmoral and released last year to mark what would have been the 97th birthday of the late Queen bears similar signs of digital alteration," reported <em>The Guardian</em>. "Prince Louis appears to have been moved back into the frame, while locks of a great granddaughter’s hair show telltale repetitions. Back then, though, the image was not urgently 'killed' by the leading international photo agencies, like the latest one, because it didn’t matter so much."</p> <p>But the fun didn't stop there. Oh no, Twitter had a field day with this one too. Allegations flew left and right faster than a royal corgi chasing a squirrel. The Queen's skirt? Edited. The green sofa? Definitely edited. Heck, there were probably bets being placed on whether the corgis were even real or just digital creations.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Did the late Queen ever pose with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren? Seems like no. 🤔 This photo, taken by Kate Middleton, was edited at least in 9 places. Now the mass media are reporting about it too.<br />A little thread👇 <a href="https://t.co/Sx9XjOBr1J">pic.twitter.com/Sx9XjOBr1J</a></p> <p>— Katerina 🇺🇦 (@Le__Katerina) <a href="https://twitter.com/Le__Katerina/status/1769399269365088335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>"People need to understand that it's not 'just a family photo'," wrote Twitter sleuth Katerina. "It's made for historical record. I don't think you'd want to see doctored photos in your history books."</p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Meanwhile, in the land of hashtags and filters, speculation about the health of the Princess of Wales, Kate, reached a fever pitch, with </span><a style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;" href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/princess-kate-s-post-surgery-pic-ignites-even-wilder-conspiracy-theories" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Mother's Day photo</a><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> that looked like it had been through more edits than a celebrity's Instagram post. Kate, surrounded by her adorable brood, found herself at the centre of yet another digital debacle. Who knew a simple family photo could cause such a stir?</span></p> <p>In a rare move, <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/princess-kate-sensationally-speaks-out-over-photo-fiasco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kate herself stepped forward</a> to offer an apology, blaming her newfound love for amateur photography. Note to self: stick to selfies, Kate.</p> <p>But fear not, royal watchers, for this tale of Photoshop folly is far from over. With a family as unpredictable as the British weather, who knows what digital delights await us in the next instalment?</p> <p><em>Image: Twitter (X)</em></p>

Technology

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Yes, Kate Middleton’s photo was doctored. But so are a lot of images we see today

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/t-j-thomson-503845">T.J. Thomson</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p>Rumours and conspiracies have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/style/princess-kate-middleton-health.html">swirling</a> following the abdominal surgery and long recovery period of Catherine, Princess of Wales, earlier this year. They intensified on Monday when Kensington Palace released a photo of the princess with her three children.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4U_IqTNaqU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4U_IqTNaqU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The photo had clear signs of tampering, and international wire services <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kate-princess-photo-surgery-ca91acf667c87c6c70a7838347d6d4fb">withdrew the image</a> amid concerns around manipulation. The princess later <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1767135566645092616">apologised for any confusion</a> and said she had “experimented with editing” as many amateur photographers do.</p> <p>Image editing is extremely common these days, and not all of it is for nefarious purposes. However, in an age of rampant misinformation, how can we stay vigilant around suspicious images?</p> <h2>What happened with the royal photo?</h2> <p>A close look reveals at least eight inconsistencies with the image.</p> <p>Two of these relate to unnatural blur. Catherine’s right hand is unnaturally blurred, even though her left hand is sharp and at the same distance from the camera. The left side of Catherine’s hair is also unnaturally blurred, while the right side of her hair is sharp.</p> <p>These types of edits are usually made with a blur tool that softens pixels. It is often used to make the background of an image less distracting or to smooth rough patches of texture.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=358&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=358&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=358&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=450&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=450&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581145/original/file-20240312-26-rhmkk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=450&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">At least eight logical inconsistencies exist in the doctored image the Prince and Princess of Wales posted on social media.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4U_IqTNaqU/">Photo by the Prince of Wales/Chart by T.J. Thomson</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Five of the edits appear to use the “clone stamp” tool. This is a Photoshop tool that takes part of the same or a different image and “stamps” it onto another part.</p> <p>You can see this with the repeated pattern on Louis’s (on the left) sweater and the tile on the ground. You can also see it with the step behind Louis’s legs and on Charlotte’s hair and sleeve. The zipper on Catherine’s jacket also doesn’t line up.</p> <p>The most charitable interpretation is that the princess was trying to remove distracting or unflattering elements. But the artefacts could also point to multiple images being blended together. This could either be to try to show the best version of each person (for example, with a smiling face and open eyes), or for another purpose.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C</p> <p>— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1767135566645092616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <h2>How common are image edits?</h2> <p>Image editing is increasingly common as both photography and editing are increasingly becoming more automated.</p> <p>This sometimes happens without you even knowing.</p> <p>Take HDR (high dynamic range) images, for example. Point your iPhone or equivalent at a beautiful sunset and watch it capture the scene from the brightest highlights to the darkest shadows. What happens here is your camera makes multiple images and automatically stitches them together to make an image <a href="https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/hub/guides/what-is-hdr-photography.html">with a wider range of contrast</a>.</p> <p>While face-smoothing or teeth-whitening filters are nothing new, some smartphone camera apps apply them without being prompted. Newer technology like Google’s “Best Take” <a href="https://blog.google/products/photos/how-google-photos-best-take-works/">feature</a> can even combine the best attributes of multiple images to ensure everyone’s eyes are open and faces are smiling in group shots.</p> <p>On social media, it seems everyone tries to show themselves in their best light, which is partially why so few of the photos on our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15551393.2020.1862663">camera rolls</a> make it onto our social media feeds. It is also why we often edit our photos to show our best sides.</p> <p>But in other contexts, such as press photography, the <a href="https://www.ap.org/about/news-values-and-principles/telling-the-story/visuals">rules are much stricter</a>. The Associated Press, for example, bans all edits beyond simple crops, colour adjustments, and “minor adjustments” that “restore the authentic nature of the photograph”.</p> <p>Professional photojournalists haven’t always gotten it right, though. While the majority of lens-based news workers adhere to ethical guidelines like those published by the <a href="https://nppa.org/resources/code-ethics">National Press Photographers Association</a>, others have let deadline pressures, competition and the desire for exceptional imagery cloud their judgement.</p> <p>One such example was in 2017, when British photojournalist Souvid Datta admitted to <a href="https://time.com/4766312/souvid-datta/">visually plagiarising</a> another photographer’s work within his own composition.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Photographer Souvid Datta appears to have plagiarized Mary Ellen Mark: <a href="https://t.co/iO1Lm8CowU">https://t.co/iO1Lm8CowU</a> <a href="https://t.co/jswHyApGNj">pic.twitter.com/jswHyApGNj</a></p> <p>— PetaPixel (@petapixel) <a href="https://twitter.com/petapixel/status/859824132258537472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2017</a></p></blockquote> <p>Concerns around false or misleading visual information are at an all-time high, given advances in <a href="https://theconversation.com/nine-was-slammed-for-ai-editing-a-victorian-mps-dress-how-can-news-media-use-ai-responsibly-222382">generative artificial intelligence (AI)</a>. In fact, this year the World Economic Forum named the risk of misinformation and disinformation as the world’s greatest <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/01/ai-disinformation-global-risks/">short-term threat</a>. It placed this above armed conflict and natural disasters.</p> <h2>What to do if you’re unsure about an image you’ve found online</h2> <p>It can be hard to keep up with the more than <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-2-billion-images-and-720-000-hours-of-video-are-shared-online-daily-can-you-sort-real-from-fake-148630">3 billion photos</a> that are shared each day.</p> <p>But, for the ones that matter, we owe it to ourselves to slow down, zoom in and ask ourselves a few simple <a href="https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck-resources/how-we-check-the-facts/">questions</a>:</p> <p>1. Who made or shared the image? This can give clues about reliability and the purpose of making or sharing the image.</p> <p>2. What’s the evidence? Can you find another version of the image, for example, using a <a href="https://tineye.com/">reverse-image search engine</a>?</p> <p>3. What do trusted sources say? Consult resources like <a href="https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/">AAP FactCheck</a> or <a href="https://factcheck.afp.com/">AFP Fact Check</a> to see if authoritative sources have already weighed in.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225553/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/t-j-thomson-503845">T.J. Thomson</a>, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication &amp; Digital Media, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-kate-middletons-photo-was-doctored-but-so-are-a-lot-of-images-we-see-today-225553">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Hero image: The Conversation / X / Instagram</em></p>

Technology

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Princess Kate sensationally speaks out over photo fiasco

<p>Kensington Palace's attempt to quell speculation about Kate Middleton's health has ignited a storm of controversy, raising concerns about the future Queen's well-being to feverish levels.</p> <p>The Princess of Wales, at 42, issued an unprecedented statement on Monday morning, UK time, taking responsibility for what was described as <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/princess-kate-s-post-surgery-pic-ignites-even-wilder-conspiracy-theories" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"editing" an official portrait </a> released on Sunday for Mother’s Day.</p> <p>This portrait, featuring Kate alongside her three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – was eagerly anticipated as it marked the first sighting of the Princess since her mysterious abdominal surgery in January and subsequent disappearance from the public eye.</p> <p>However, far from dispelling concerns, the photograph seemed to amplify existing suspicions about her health, with many pointing out apparent discrepancies and suggesting it had been manipulated. The situation escalated when four major photo agencies issued "kill notice" orders for the image, alleging it had been "manipulated at the source [palace]."</p> <p>In a rare move, Kate Middleton took to X (Twitter) to address the controversy directly, admitting to the editing mishap and expressing regret for any confusion caused by the altered image. </p> <p>"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she wrote. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C"</p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Despite her efforts to diffuse the situation, the fallout continued to unravel. </span>Royal watchers and fans reacted strongly to the events, with some accusing the palace of using Kate as a scapegoat and questioning the integrity of the institution itself. Omid Scobie, a UK author known for his association with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, highlighted the palace's history of misinformation and suggested that regaining public trust would be an uphill battle.</p> <p>“It’s fair to say that most photos released by the offices of public figures have been retouched in some way, so *if* this was an isolated incident then it would just be an unfortunate error," Scobie wrote.</p> <p>"But with the Palace’s long history of lying, covering up, and even issuing statements on behalf of family members without their permission (cc: Prince Harry), it’s becoming increasingly difficult for the public to believe a word (and now photo) they share. Gaining that back at this point is an almost impossible task.” </p> <p>Piers Morgan strongly urged the palace to release the unedited version of the photo to quell speculation. Failure to do so, he warned, would only fuel further conspiracy theories.</p> <p>As the debate raged on social media, with Kate Middleton's name trending worldwide, users dissected the image, pointing out inconsistencies and suggesting alternative theories. The withdrawal of the photo by major news agencies, citing editorial issues, have only added fuel to the fire, further intensifying speculation.</p> <p>Amidst the controversy, Princess Kate's prolonged absence from the public eye following her hospitalisation in January has only heightened concerns. <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/finance/legal/kate-middleton-spotted-for-the-first-time-since-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Her recent appearance</a>, photographed near Windsor Castle, marked her first public sighting in over two months, adding to the intrigue surrounding her health.</p> <p>As the debate continues, the fallout from this incident may have lasting implications for both Kate Middleton and the institution she represents.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Tabloid slammed for bizarre photoshop edit of Kate Middleton

<p>British publication The Mirror appears to have edited a photo of Kate Middleton to the point where she is almost unrecognisable.</p> <p>The popular UK-based tabloid covered a story about the Royal Family attending a Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in London recently.</p> <p>Joining Kate Middleton at the event were King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William and the Princess of Wales. Despite the attendance of the other royals, the outlet still chose to use a sombre photo of Catherine on the front page.</p> <p>The tabloid was then widely called out for the bizarre photoshop edit of that image. A very confused audience took to social media, calling out the publication for the rough photoshop hatchet job of the Princess.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">When i saw an image of kate doing rounds on Twitter, i thought it was photoshoped. This morning I went to my local co-op and took this pic of todays <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DailyMirror?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DailyMirror</a>. Surely <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KateMiddleton?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KateMiddleton</a> doesn’t look like this? <a href="https://t.co/kysKlr27zt">pic.twitter.com/kysKlr27zt</a></p> <p>— HK (@hasifah23) <a href="https://twitter.com/hasifah23/status/1592082881781805056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">What in the ever loving god did they do to Princess Catherine’s picture? How disgusting to photoshop the photo in this way! <a href="https://t.co/ziMhSnVy2h">pic.twitter.com/ziMhSnVy2h</a></p> <p>— Royal Tea With Brittany (@brittanygadoury) <a href="https://twitter.com/brittanygadoury/status/1591962064050098176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>Both The Royal Family or The Mirror are yet to comment.</p> <p><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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10 useful things to know about Photoshop

<p>Would you like to try your hand a little photo editing? Well, you’ve likely heard of Photoshop – it’s the go-to photo editing software for everyone from a budding photographer to a design professional. Whilst there are many quick and easy things you can master with Photoshop, the scope of its capability is endless. While this is not quite a step-by-step how-to guide, there are some extremely useful tips that will help you take your editing skills one step up.</p> <p><strong>Combine images with text
</strong><br />There’s a really easy way to overlay an image on top of text. Drop an image layer over a type layer then hold down Alt and click the line between the two layers in the Layers Panel to clip the image to the text.</p> <p><strong>Funky backgrounds
</strong><br />If you’d like to change the default grey background to something more funky, simpley hit Shift–click over the background area with the Paint Bucket tool to fill it with your foreground colour. Right-click it to go back to grey.</p> <p><strong>Colour code layers
</strong><br />Using colour coding to organise your Layers Panel can be very helpful. Right-click over a layer’s eye icon to quickly access eight colour code choices.</p> <p><strong>Close all images
</strong><br />To close all of your documents at the same time, Shift-click any image window’s close icon.</p> <p><strong>Diffuse effects</strong><br />
The Diffuse Glow filter can give highlights a soft ethereal feel, especially when you combine the effect with desaturation. Hit D to reset colours then go to Filter>Distort>Diffuse Glow. Keep the effect fairly subtle, then go to Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation and drop the saturation down to complete the dreamlike effect.</p> <p><strong>Foreground and background colours</strong><br />Change your foreground and background colours with X 
</p> <p><strong>Panel and tools view</strong><br />Hide or shows all panels and tools 
with TAB</p> <p><strong>Straighten horizons</strong><br />Hold down A and drag a line to straighten your images.</p> <p><strong>Paste in place
</strong><br />Cut and paste a selection to a new layer and Photoshop will place it in the middle of the screen. If you want to paste it to a new layer, but keep the position the same, use Cmd/Ctrl+X to cut and Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+V to paste in place. Similarly, you should hold down Shift while dragging layers between documents with the Move tool to keep the same position.</p> <p><strong>Make sketch lines</strong><br />
If you want to turn a photo into a painting, adding sketch lines can make the effect look more realistic. To do so, duplicate your layer then go to Filter>Stylise>
Glowing Edges, then invert the colours, desaturate and use the Darken or Multiply Blend Mode.</p>

Technology

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"This is NOT what I look like": TV star takes a stand against altered pictures

<p>Bethenny Frankel has taken a stand against "deceptive" photos on social media by posting what she really looks like. </p> <p>The <em>Real Housewives of New York City</em> star, 51, shared two images to her Instagram account: both in a bikini on the beach, but one had been clearly photoshopped to make her look slimmer. </p> <p>She shared the photos as a warning of how dangerous Photoshop can be when dealing with your self-image. </p> <p>In the caption, she wrote, "This is NOT what I look like…and you know that because I’m not vain and show you the real me."</p> <p>“But if I posted a version of this every day you might start to believe that it might be. This is just how distorted this has all gotten.”</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/Frankel.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Bethenny post-Photoshop (left) vs. all natural (right). Image credits: Instagram</em></p> <p>She pointed out that “filtering is lying” and “deceptive,” which causes women to “feel badly about themselves” and “young girls insecure and obsessed with an unattainable perfection”.</p> <p>Frankel continued, “It makes middle aged women and mothers feel insecure about themselves. This creates a false ideal for men.”</p> <p>She went on to call editing “destructive, irresponsible, insecure and inaccurate”, before concluding her inspirational post by reminding her followers that “there is a line between making an effort to look pretty and an outright falsehood”.</p> <p>Frankel has often pointed out the importance of living filter free, as earlier this year she posted an unedited photo of herself lounging by the pool in a tiny bikini telling fans the key to body acceptance is “balance”.</p> <p>She went on to encourage people to embrace their flaws and live for themselves, rather than their social media perception. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p> <div class="media image" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; width: 705.1837768554688px; margin-bottom: 32px;"> </div>

Body

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Wedding photographer photoshops "crazy eyes" over blinking guests

<p>A bride has gone viral for sharing her hilarious wedding photos that had been photoshopped to "fix" the faces of people blinking. </p> <p>Anaya Ramos-Bridgeford, from Pennsylvania in the US, took to Facebook to celebrate her recent marriage with a selection of photos from her big day. </p> <p>However, most of the people in the photos, including the bride herself, had "crazy eyes" after the photographer had attempted to edit out the people blinking. </p> <p>Anaya admitted feeling "upset" about the photoshop blunder, but said she "couldn't help but laugh".</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fanaya.ramos.31%2Fposts%2F1076308886431509&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="758" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>"My photographer called to allow me to view my photos before he released them to our entire family to view. I noticed that some of the pictures looked ODD," Anaya said in the Facebook post.</p> <p>"I am so upset but can’t help but laugh. I’ve been laughing all day."</p> <p>The now viral post has racked up much online attention, with a flood of comments praising the woman for sharing the hilariously altered pictures. </p> <p>One person said, "Thank you for sharing. I didn't know this was a thing but holy moly."</p> <p>Another said, "I see this a lot. Hire a pro, you won't regret it."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook </em></p>

Relationships

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Vanity Fair slammed for "distorted" Nicole Kidman cover

<p dir="ltr">Fashion giant <em>Vanity Fair</em> has come under fire for unattainable beauty standards, after images of Nicole Kidman’s cover of the magazine <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-18/vanity-fair-photoshop-disaster-on-nicole-kidman-cover/100842684" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sparked debate</a> online.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 54-year-old actress, styled in Italian high fashion label Miu Miu, posed for the cover of the magazine’s “Hollywood Issue”, prompting some to allege the magazine used excessive photoshopping.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaFFB8aLARD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaFFB8aLARD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Many have backed up these allegations with claims Kidman’s knee pops out at an angle that is incongruous with her foot and that the line of her left oblique is right next to her belly button.</p> <p dir="ltr">One commenter compared the photo to the video accompanying <em><a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/02/nicole-kidman-2022-hollywood-portfolio?itm_content=inline&amp;itm_campaign=hollywood-portfolio-recirc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vanity Fair</a></em>’s cover story and pointed out differences between them, despite it being technologically possible for videos to also be retouched.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Airbrushing is done on the body, so she’s still airbrushed. Also, videos can be tweaked. Even still, compare the still from the video (right) to the cover (left). The cover photo is obviously distorted. <a href="https://t.co/8OnYAqEjVw">pic.twitter.com/8OnYAqEjVw</a></p> <p>— Lisa Strawn (@lparke) <a href="https://twitter.com/lparke/status/1494437479193137152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“No 54-year-old’s body looks like that, not even Nicole Kidman’s. Why are we still doing this s**t?” one popular response on Twitter read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She is a beautiful woman and can do whatever she wants with her body. It’s a criticism of the magazine’s stylistic choices and insane airbrushing.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Even beyond the bizarre styling and weirdo creative direction… this is just straight shoddy photoshop work…duplicated flower patch clear as day, foot becoming one with the grass…unclear if she is a missing part of her hip…smh that this got signed off on by so many.. <a href="https://t.co/axIu24XhkL">pic.twitter.com/axIu24XhkL</a></p> <p>— Puppybrother (@puppybrother12) <a href="https://twitter.com/puppybrother12/status/1494436334949203968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Other eagle-eyed critics pointed out other inconsistencies, such as flowers cloned behind Kidman and her shoe “becoming one with the grass”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The cover photo also seems to contradict the accompanying interview, where Kidman opens up about health issues she has experienced as a result of being in the public eye.</p> <p dir="ltr">She told <em>Vanity Fair</em> she often tricked her immune system into thinking that the suffering her characters experienced was real, only to fall ill after filming.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Parts of the body don’t know, a lot of the time, what the difference is (between acting and real-life),” she explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Australian star spoke of one example where she got sick after filming the TV series <em>Big Little Lies</em>, in which she played an abuse survivor.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve started to understand a bit more to take care of yourself,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @vanityfair (Instagram)</em></p>

News

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Blame it on Photoshop: Husband caught in ‘most ridiculous lie’

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A woman has revealed she divorced her husband after finding a photo of him with an embarrassing mistake.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tylar shared the demise of her marriage in a TikTok video, claiming her alarm bells went off after seeing a photo of her husband “with a bunch of girls” at a nightclub.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the image was fairly candid, Tylar noticed and took issue with one missing detail.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He’s not wearing his wedding ring,” she said in the video.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The image was taken by a professional photographer and shared on the venue’s page.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When she broached the subject of the missing ring with her husband, Tylar says her husband responded to her suspicions with the “most ridiculous lie” she’d ever heard.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He tells me that they Photoshopped his ring off,” she told her viewers while laughing.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They ‘Photoshopped his ring off’? Oh, sure they did.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a bold statement, Tylar announced, “We’re divorced.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a follow-up video, Tylar confirmed her husband’s story changed after their confrontation, instead claiming he had taken the ring off to wash his hands and “must have” forgotten to put it back on.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What a convenient time to forget to put your ring back on,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The caption of her post read, “I’d love for this sound to go viral because he will know he’s the only idiot that would tell such a whopper!!”. It appears her wish came true too, with the clip receiving more than 2.2 million views.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thousands of users also showed their support for Tylar.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Girl, you are not divorced! He’s just photoshopped out of your life,” one wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I can’t believe he thought you would believe that,” another said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">From wedding photos to ‘photoshopped’ rings, Tylar declared her ex-husband was simply “a narcissist”. </span></p>

Relationships

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The 10 worst celebrity photoshop fails

<p>It is no secret that the vast majority (if not all) of the photos we see of celebrities are heavily edited to give them a flawless and enhanced look.</p> <p>However, sometimes the team behind the ad campaign upload photos that have obvious errors due to their edits.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see photoshop fails that quickly got caught out because they took it too far in the editing room.</p> <p>What is the worst photoshop fail that you have seen? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

Art

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Hilarious problem with Steven Spielberg’s new movie poster

<p>Steven Spielberg fans have called ‘Photoshop fail’ on the poster for his new sci-fi thriller, <em>Ready Player One</em>.</p> <p>In the poster, star Tye Sheridan is seen climbing a ladder and looking out over a futuristic city. But it’s his rather lengthy right leg that is causing fans to question how this film poster ever got approved.</p> <p><img width="500" height="769" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7265703/4b89ea36ae5df46ad44d186a3401a789_500x769.jpg" alt="4b 89ea 36ae 5df 46ad 44d 186a 3401a 789" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Fans are wondering whether the film’s star may actually have freakishly long limbs in the movie, while others are simply blaming Photoshop for the issue.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">"The leg in the Ready Player One poster is perfectly fine, I don’t know what everyone’s complaining about” - Steven Spielberg <a href="https://t.co/irjp3PUMz6">pic.twitter.com/irjp3PUMz6</a></p> — Funny Or Die (@funnyordie) <a href="https://twitter.com/funnyordie/status/940343722482401280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2017</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Here's the theatrical poster for Ready Player One.<br /><br />This guy's right leg is as long as my house is tall. <a href="https://t.co/o2QeVO83he">pic.twitter.com/o2QeVO83he</a></p> — Ryan Brown 🕹️🎄🎅 (@Toadsanime) <a href="https://twitter.com/Toadsanime/status/939873813973610497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">There would be less controversy if they'd just used the full title, Ready Player One Leg Longer Than The Other. <a href="https://t.co/ElSDibX6cw">pic.twitter.com/ElSDibX6cw</a></p> — Pete Rogers (@PeteRogers) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteRogers/status/940308366345293826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2017</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Ready Player One is actually about a future boy whose leg won’t stop growing so he’s forced to climb poorly designed ladders.</p> — Dennie Bright (@denniebright) <a href="https://twitter.com/denniebright/status/939630671374503937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2017</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Between the horrible TOMB RAIDER poster with Alicia Vikander’s extended neck, and READY PLAYER ONE’s poster with Ty Sheridan’s elongated leg, someone at WB’s design house is looking to get fired. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PosterFails?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PosterFails</a> <a href="https://t.co/pNjAocmAtU">pic.twitter.com/pNjAocmAtU</a></p> — Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lulamaybelle/status/939689390426677248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</a></blockquote> <p><img width="500" height="769" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7265703/4b89ea36ae5df46ad44d186a3401a789_500x769.jpg" alt="4b 89ea 36ae 5df 46ad 44d 186a 3401a 789" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Fans are wondering whether the film’s star may actually have freakishly long limbs in the movie, while others are simply blaming Photoshop for the issue.</p> <p>While everyone loves a good bit of Photoshop gone wrong (remember the <em>Tomb Raider</em> film with Alicia Vikander’s <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41331702" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">dinosaur-like long neck</span></strong></a>?), we will have to wait for the film’s release to see whether the poster’s designer was just, err, pulling our leg.</p> <p>The film was due to be released in Australia this month, but has been pushed back to March 2018 to avoid competing with <em>Star Wars: The Last Jedi</em>. </p>

Movies

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Does every woman turn into her mother?

<p>The old adage goes all woman eventually turn into their mothers. Whether you think that’s a good or bad thing (personally, our mothers are amazing so we would be so lucky), it seems that for some, it’s very true in the physical sense.</p> <p>In a fascinating picture experiment, the pictures of five mothers and their daughters were photoshopped together. As the pictures show, these sets of mothers and daughters are much more alike than they realised. </p> <p><em>Scroll through the gallery above and tell us, do you think woman grow to be like their mothers? </em></p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/12/life-lessons-from-grandparents/">Top 10 life lessons kids learn from grandparents</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/10/quotes-about-siblings/">9 heart-warming quotes about siblings</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/10/role-of-grandparents/">The 10 “types” of grandparents</a></em></strong></span></p>

News

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Artist shares “naughty” images from babysitting day

<p>Photographer and artist, Fern Smooch, recently babysat his friend’s kids under one condition: She got to bring her camera.</p> <p>“My friend told me that since they had kids they don’t have any time to even go to the movies or do anything anymore, so here I come to save the day!” said the photographer.</p> <p>“Babysitting 101: don’t hire a friend that holds a camera.”</p> <p>The result was some hilariously “naughty” photos. And don’t worry, although the photos look dangerous, the kids were never at any risk. Fern took multiple photos and Photoshopped them together. He also held the children during the dangerous-looking shots, using a tripod and timer to capture the photos, and then Photoshopping himself out of the pictures.</p> <p><img width="541" height="360" src="http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/i-agreed-to-babysit-my-friends-babies-for-a-day-under-one-condition-i-get-to-bring-a-camera__880.jpg"/></p> <p><img width="541" height="360" src="http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/i-agreed-to-babysit-my-friends-babies-for-a-day-under-one-condition-i-get-to-bring-a-camera-3__880.jpg"/></p> <p><img width="539" height="340" src="http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/i-agreed-to-babysit-my-friends-babies-for-a-day-under-one-condition-i-get-to-bring-a-camera-4__880.jpg"/></p> <p><img width="539" height="359" src="http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/i-agreed-to-babysit-my-friends-babies-for-a-day-under-one-condition-i-get-to-bring-a-camera-5__880.jpg"/></p> <p> </p>

Family & Pets

Over 60

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